CWA Call Center Workers Win New Protections

CWA members in Washington State succeeded in getting legislation passed to protect Washington call center jobs and crack down on companies that offshore their call center jobs. Last week, Governor Bob Ferguson signed the Washington Call Center Jobs Act, a law that will add new levels of accountability to the offshoring process. The new law aims to protect local call center jobs by imposing reporting requirements and penalties on employers planning to relocate call centers overseas, where worker exploitation is more common.

Last week, CWA leaders from across the state of Alabama gathered for their annual meeting.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. updated attendees on the issues facing the national union and praised Alabama locals for their bold political efforts, saying, “I applaud you for working to strengthen your relationships with your elected officials here in Alabama. They need to hear from us now more than ever. Too many of them hear ‘union’ and believe that the union is some outside force. It is not. We are the union. You are the union.” He also stated, “Too many politicians on both sides of the aisle have become dependent on money from corporations and billionaires to stay in power. We need to use our votes to remind them that they work for us.”

CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam provided attendees with a financial update, and CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt focused on upcoming priorities for the District. CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos gave insight into national union operations. CWA Retired Members Council (RMC) President Gwen Parker shared news about the work of the RMC.

Attendees built their knowledge and skills at several workshops and presentations, including an abbreviated Gender Justice training as well as a new Environmental Justice Training, both conducted by the CWA Human Rights Department.

CWA Local 3907 President Ra-amon Ta–neter, speaking about the conference, said, “It was truly an amazing state meeting. We are extremely grateful that our guests took the time to come and share their expertise with us by way of workshops, lectures, and open dialog. We can’t thank everyone enough for providing us with tools and various skills in efforts to help us to better service our local members.”

CWA leaders from across Alabama met for the Alabama Leaders Meeting. Pictured, right to left: Jessica Brock and Mahalia Corley representing Unity at Mobility, CWA National Human Rights Department Senior Campaign Lead Timmia Wiley, CWA Local 3911 Vice President of Mobility Sherry Owens, CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., CWA Local 3902 Mobility Representative Jackie Lott, CWA Local 3902 Executive Vice President Vickie Grace-Brown, CWA Local 3905 Secretary Malissa Bell, and National Women’s Committee Chair Yolanda Pearson.

Last week, reporting revealed that a NewsGuild-CWA-represented journalist at The Hill was fired as part of an effort by the company to appease President Donald Trump. Olafimihan Oshin, who was fired in December, is a member of The Hill Guild (Washington-Baltimore News Guild-CWA Local 32035). The Hill is owned by media company Nexstar, which is seeking favorable FCC treatment from the Trump administration. Nexstar executive Sean Compton, who oversees The Hill, formerly produced a radio show featuring Trump.

The dispute began over coverage of financial losses incurred by Trump’s social media platform Truth Social. The president sued 20 news outlets to stop the coverage. Nineteen news outlets responded in defense of their staffers. The Hill is the only outlet to acquiesce to Trump’s demands. Oshin was a member of the union’s bargaining committee at the time of the firing.

Management is also moving forward with layoffs that could slash 30% of the newsroom.

In a statement from The Hill Guild, they write, “We strongly condemn The Hill and Nexstar management’s pursuit of layoffs, which would affect roughly 30 percent of our staff. We also reject the company’s plan to cut critical reporting beats and personnel. The Hill is built on a foundation of nonpartisanship. We’re fighting to keep it that way.”

You can join the fight by signing this petition and by sharing these stories on Twitter and on the Bluesky media platform.

Hawaiian Airlines
Earlier this month, Flight Attendants at Hawaiian Airlines voted to ratify a contract extension through February 2028. The contract includes pay increases, improvements to retirement benefits, work rule improvements, and creates a strong base from which to negotiate in the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement. Negotiations are already underway for the combined Alaska-Hawaiian group.

“This contract extension provides Hawaiian Flight Attendants with certainty and guaranteed economic and work rule improvements as we work towards our joint contract,” said AFA-CWA Hawaiian Negotiations Chair Joni Kashiwai.

Eastern Airlines
AFA-CWA Flight Attendants at Eastern Airlines have ratified their first contract with the airline. The five-year contract provides pay increases, job security, grievance procedures, and work rules. The workers at the charter carrier voted overwhelmingly to join AFA-CWA in 2022.

CWA members and retirees across District 2-13 participated in a massive community outreach project during the first quarter of 2025. At the District’s Human Rights Meeting in December 2024, CWA staff and volunteers agreed to prepare and distribute toiletry/hygiene kits to those in need across the district footprint. CWA District 2-13 Vice President Mike Davis fully supported the project and participated in the delivery of the kits to partner Catholic Charities while in the Pittsburgh area.

Each local and sector was tasked with preparing 50 kits, half for men and half for women. In a demonstration of union generosity, many participating groups exceeded that amount. Kits included items such as shampoo/conditioner, mouthwash, toothbrushes, and feminine hygiene products.

CWA District 2-13 members and retirees participated in a district-wide community outreach program to prepare personal hygiene kits for those in need. Pictures above include CWA District 2-13 Vice President Mike Davis (upper right, center) with other pictures of CWA volunteers. The District delivered hygiene kits to partner Catholic Charities, which oversaw distribution.